INDIANAPOLIS (August 14, 2014) – Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson is looking into preliminary information that indicates a significant number of Indiana voters are using the addresses of mailbox stores around central Indiana as their voting residence. State law does not allow the use of a mailing address as the residence address for the purpose of voting. The initial investigation started when a returned card from the recent voter list refresh project listed the address of a mailbox store as the voter’s residence address. Secretary Lawson’s office has identified a number of similar mailbox stores around central Indiana that voters apparently list as their residence.

“This is exactly why Indiana chose to engage in this voter list accuracy effort.” said Secretary Lawson. “We are drawing no conclusions about the information that we’ve discovered except that more inquiry needs to be made.”

Secretary Lawson is also issuing an important consumer alert to all voters who may be registering to vote or changing their voter registration information and to organizations conducting voter registration drives in the days leading up to the registration deadline.

“As organizations, political parties and candidates engage in voter registration drives, please help voters understand the difference between voting residence and mailing address,” said Secretary Lawson. “Voters who use a mailbox store should double check to make sure the mailing address of that store is not also used as the voting residence.”

Secretary Lawson’s office will continue to investigate and encourages county boards of voter registration to look into this matter as well. All election administrators should take care to ensure voters understand their registration record.

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